Help! my 6 yo hates school already

When did you start school?  September?  January?  another time?

Just wondering if she has had time to get used to the school routine or not…   My 6yo son hated school for quite a while, but we missed a few days a while ago, and he wanted to know when we were going to do school again because he missed it…

Hi!

 I do not claim to be an expert by any means, but I mostly wanted to encourage you. I am sure you have been seeking the LORD in the matter but don’t give up going to Him every day asking Him to give your dd the desire and curiosity she needs to learn. Everyone at some point runs into something they do not want to do. With little ones we just need to consistently teach them that there are things of importance that we must do. I use alot of games that teach lessons with children and we have made some lapbook games. One was addition and subtraction- We glued a drawing(a very simple drawing) on the inside of a manilla file folder of about nine beehives with answers on them(1,2,3,4,etc.) and made funny little bees with the problems on their backs. She loves figuring out where the honeybee’s correct hive is. I even used this one with my son at that age. Every child is different and she probably needs to grow into the idea of school but educational games can give that “playful” feeling to her while she’s still learning. Just hang in there, keep on praying, and keep up the good work. I’ll be praying for you ,too! Melanie

I would like to gently offer a different perspective.  I’m guessing that she probably is a curious child who does love learning. She probably just doesn’t like formal learning, which is completely normal for a child her age.  Make sure you are doing short lessons, even 10 mins of reading or writing is enough, and that does not even have to be daily.  Make math completely hands-on and incorporate it into everyday life as much as possible. 

Often young children get pushed too much, even when we think what we are expecting is not too much, and they get burned out and come to hate school.  Try to re-define your idea of what learning is.  It does not have to look like traditional schoolwork.  Look for learning in your day and label it in terms of school subjects for your own peace of mind or for records.  Read books.  Expose her to many topics.  Explore the outdoors.  Feed her interests.  Work together.  Build character.  Enjoy each other. and yes, pray, asking God to show you what He wants your daughter to learn today.

(In my experience, teaching a child to do things they don’t want to do can best be done through chores and life, not through forcing formal schoolwork on young children.  Cultivate a love for learning when they are young.  So many things, like handwriting and math, will be so much easier and go so much faster for them when their bodies and brains are actually ready.  Read books by Raymond Moore for more information.)

I understand.  I have felt that pressure, too, and caved.  I have my regrets and now just try to pass on the “relax” message. 🙂

I must agree with the “stepping back” method, if you will.   Last year my dd5 in first grade did not want to read at all and had no interest.  I was near tears, so I stopped with those lessons and let her listen more to her sister and myself read.  At the beginning of this school year she did not want to read her math problems and would sulk if she was made to do them.  Today, I am glad to say that she finished “Storytime with the Millers” with little to no help from Mommy and tomorrow she is excited about starting “Prudence and the Millers”.  My oldest was the same with math and since stepping back, she is improving also.  Just hope that this encourages you.  I had to decide why I was raising these children and the direction I wanted them to go.  After I determined I wasn’t raising them for the “state”, but for God’s glory, my perspective was changed. 

God bless your endeavors,

Jessica

I’ll pipe in with the “relax” message too. Sometimes you can cover the same material simply by calling it something different. Rather than say, “School time!” you can say, “Let’s read this book together for awhile.” Or, you can postpone some material. Six years old is still so young…don’t cave to the outside pressure that six year olds need lots of academic and book learning. There is time later for that.

I like the advice of spending as much time outdoors as possible at that age, learning household chores, and getting into good habits that will make formal schoolwork easier down the road.